Your NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: Blake Grupe 💯@blakegrupe | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/R1ecIYuHiR
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 11, 2023
Rookie New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe has been recognized as NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after nailing a pair of 50-yard field goals and four extra points in his team’s win over the New England Patriots.
Grupe has opened October by going 5-for-5 on field goals from distances of 37, 32, 44, 54, and 53 yards over the last two games; that’s a very impressive rebound from his missed 46-yarder in Week 3, which is the only field goal he hasn’t hit out of a dozen attempts. He’s 9-for-9 on point-after attempts this season.
Not bad for someone a lot of fans and analysts saw as a long shot to even make the team. Grupe competed hard throughout the summer with former Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz, and the Saints saw enough out of the first-year pro to justify trading Lutz to the Denver Broncos; for his part, Lutz is 8-of-9 on field goals and 11-of-12 on extra points this season.
Hopefully Grupe can maintain this high level of play. Points have been hard to come by for the Saints offense (at least until their latest game, a 34-0 shutout in New England) and every kick matters. The rookie has come through more often than not in his first five games. Let’s see how his first season in the pros continues.
